But now…
Now, I want all the attention.
Because when I kill Giovanni Costa and take down the family, I want them all to know exactly who brought their demise.
I want them to know that Winter Chastise is no longer a mouse, but a motherfucking tiger.
And this tiger will rip them to shreds and bathe in their blood.
***
“Holy shit, Winter, you look absolutely stunning.” I lift my head up at the familiar voice. When Daria Accardi pushes through the crowd to make her way to me, a genuine smile crosses my face.
I’m not sure what this party is for, but I’ve learned over the last couple of months that the mafia doesn’t really need a reason to party. And I have to admit that seeing Daria Accardi is one of the brightest spots I’ve had in weeks.
The brown skinned woman’s teeth shine bright as she smiles at me, and her curls bounce as she pushes a hand through them. She’s wearing a green dress and for a moment, I can’t help but to think that she looks like the real life version of the frog princess.
“It’s so good to see you,” she says, pulling me in for a soft hug. A waft of vanilla hits my nose and she pulls back, her eyes roaming over me. “I heard that the Costas had some trouble a few weeks back. I was worried about you, but when I asked my brother about you, he claimed not to know who you were and well, Lorenzo and I don’t really have those conversations so I couldn’t ask him either.” She waves a hand as she continues to ramble, her eyes roaming the room.
Suddenly, her lips snap closed and her eyes widen as she lets out a soft chuckle. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to go on and on,” she apologizes.
I place a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay, and I’m okay.” I glance around the room before I say anything because I know I’m not really supposed to talk about what happened with the cartel a few weeks ago.
My eyes stop when I find Enzo watching me from across the room.
“Say no more,” Daria says and this time she’s the one placing a hand on my shoulder. “We’ll have plenty of time to talk later. I’ve asked Lorenzo to fix us up for a girl's day and though he seemed to be ignoring me, I know he was just pretending.”
I raise a brow. “How do you know that?”
She steps a little closer, lowering her voice. “Because, I told you once before, he’s not like the other mafia bosses. He’s a pretty good man. And he’s always felt a little guilty about our arrangement, even though he won’t say it out loud. But since he can’t provide me with the real thing I want, he lets me get my way more often than not.”
“And what’s the real thing that you want?” I ask her.
Her lips move as her eyes shoot over my shoulder, but it isn’t her voice that I hear. “Love,” The deep voice says and I whip around to find Polo standing behind me. His gaze isn’t on me though, he’s staring right at Daria.
Daria clears her throat. “I think I just saw my brother walk in, I better go tell him hello or he’ll be in a pissy mood for the rest of the day.”
“Wait-,” I turn, trying to catch her before she can leave me alone with Polo, but when I turn, she’s already hightailing it away from us.
“Well then, I guess that means it's just us, little lovely Winter.” Polo says with a gleam in his eyes, his lips tipped up into a smile.
My heart beats a little quicker and I have to remind myself that Polo has yet to actually try to harm me. He’s always been regrettably charming, but tonight he’s wearing a dangerous, cheshire grin and his gaze is fixated on me. That can’t bode well at all.
“Let's have a dance,” he says, holding a hand out to me.
I look behind his shoulder, surprised when I don’t see a Costa in sight, not even Enzo.
“Is something going on?” I ask him, my throat tightening up.
I don’t trust them, but I know that they’ll keep me safe until Giovanni is done with me. And he’s made it clear that won’t be any time soon. So even as I keep myself from openly showing my new brush of hate for him, I know that he’ll keep me safe.
Polo on the other hand…
His nose wrinkles, just the slightest. “Of course not. You see, your owners had to step out for a second and as one of Maximo’s most trusted friends, he asked me to keep an eye on you.” He leans close, his warm breath tickling the skin of my neck. “Now let's dance, Winter.”
He doesn’t give me another opportunity to turn him down, grabbing my hand and pulling me to the center of the room where a few couples are dancing to a soft tune.
Polo pulls my hand up onto his shoulder before tightly gripping my waist with both of his hands. I jolt slightly, letting out a gasp.